Over the course of their lengthy run, Montreal-based experimentalists
Suuns have explored dark tones and weighty dissonance in their exciting and sometimes caustic art rock. Moody electronics have been part of their equation since the start, and rose to the forefront of many songs on the band's 2018 release
Felt. Fifth album
The Witness continues the evolution that was apparent on
Felt, and dials back some of the frenzy for sophisticated songs that comes on subtly but still carries a thick tension. Where
Felt could be erratic and jittery at times,
The Witness is metered and expansive. Protracted album-opener "Third Stream" takes its time stretching out with a muted rhythm and an eerie bass groove before slowly opening up into delicate Auto-Tuned vocals that wander over winding chord changes. It's at once reminiscent of
Another Green World-era
Eno,
Broadcast's more psychedelically drawn moments, and more than anything, a gentler form of how
Suuns themselves have sounded before. Synth arrangements that resemble flutes and woodwinds give the song an ambient jazz feel as it twists through unexpected dynamic shifts. There's a similarly thoughtful pace on much of the album. The tight drum groove that meets cool-headed vocals and pulsing synth bass on "Witness Protection" sounds like
Clinic jamming with
Can before the entire mix fades unexpectedly into clouds of reverb and billowing trails of guitar. The slow-moving "Clarity" brings in swells of exploratory double-tracked saxophone as vocalist/guitarist
Ben Shemie delivers lyrics about letting go of fear and defensiveness. The lyrics are more discernible than on a lot of
Suuns' earlier work, and the overall energy of the track drives home how the band is taking a more deliberate, detailed approach throughout
The Witness. The album's eight tracks move together in a thoughtful, even flow, but it's not quite a "slow burn" listening experience as much as one of constant, understated movement. Uneasy moments are broken up with the pastoral beauty of "Go to My Head," and the album ends with "The Trilogy," a bright and complex song that combines all of the elements explored earlier on the album into an expertly constructed compact form.
The Witness is a consumptive listening experience, designed with precision and purpose in the same way as the immersive albums that came before it by
Portishead,
Talk Talk,
Radiohead, and other artists willing to take their time systematically disassembling and rebuilding their music. ~ Fred Thomas